


Miss Union Jack's SHIELD

by whiteraven1606



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Captivity, Comic Book Science, Domestic Fluff, Happy Ending, Mission Fic, Multi, POV Female Character, Recovery, Rescue, Secret Relationship, Spies & Secret Agents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-02-06
Packaged: 2019-03-14 12:55:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13590489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiteraven1606/pseuds/whiteraven1606
Summary: From a story of a mission to a mission with an unexpected rescue to finding Dottie in possession of Steve's shield, Peggy's life is never dull.





	Miss Union Jack's SHIELD

**Author's Note:**

  * For [captainharkness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainharkness/gifts).



****

" _Oh, no! Nazis! Again!_ "

Peggy mentally groaned. "Angie, could you be so kind as to turn that _rubbish_ off?"

Angie flicked the radio off and turned towards Peggy with a little smirk. "You really hate that show, don't you, English?"

Peggy pushed her pie around the plate with her fork. "Yes, actually. I don't see the point in retelling Captain America's story in such a fashion just to sell products."

Angie glanced around before slipping into the other side of Peggy's booth. "Did you ever see him? Captain America, I mean. I hear he could lift a motorcycle above his head while three whole girls were sitting on it."

With a sigh, Peggy sat down her coffee cup. "Angie."

Angie gave her a hopeful expression. "Ah, come on, English. You and I both know you ain't going to bed at eight. Molly said her fella said you held a gun on him. So, spill." Angie nudged Peggy's arm with her fingertips. "Please."

"One story and you don't ask after my current activities if I do not wish to speak of them."

Angie's grin widened. "Yeah, sure, agreed." She wiggled in her seat. "Come on, come on."

Peggy rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes. Alright, I suppose you want to hear about all the Howling Commandos while I'm at it?"

"Ooooh, really, English? Tell me you met the cute one with the grin too." Angie crossed her arms on the table and leaned forward.

"I assume by that you mean Sergeant Barnes." Peggy smiled sadly at her plate. "Yes, him as well." She looked up at Angie. "A story with Steve and James...Let me see..."

****

Peggy wanted to strangle them both. They were supposed to be keeping their relationship secret, but from the concerned hints from Falsworth she suspected that neither of her men had adhered to the secret part very well.

James frowned as she pushed him deeper into the corner of the filing room. "Easy, I'm still tender along there, Pegs."

"Why exactly has Falsworth become so concerned about me in the last few days?"

James grinned and leaned his weight on the selves behind him. "It was probably something Steve said."

Peggy poked him hard in the ribs and smiled lightly when he doubled over with a grunt. "Still tender there as well?"

James shook his head. "We might have been discussing what to find you for your birthday and Monty overheard us, alright? And don't tell Stevie you know anything, he really wants to surprise you."

"Do not tell me that because Major Falsworth overheard you giving advice to Steve..." She narrowed her eyes at him. "What exactly is Steve getting me?"

James held his empty hands up as he straightened up from his slouch. "I'm not tattlen' on him."

Peggy made a gesture as though she was going to poke him in the ribs again and then smacked him lightly on the head as he went to block the first blow. "Neither of you are six years old." She stepped back and straightened her skirt. "Now, please, do try to keep our secret an actual secret, if you please."

"Don't worry, Agent Carter." James gently tucked her stray hair back into place. "I'll remind him we have to be adults."

Peggy gave him a soft smile and a gentle squeeze to his nearer hand. She turned, squared her shoulders, dropped her expression into the slightly peeved face she used to keep people from asking her questions, and left the filing room.

~~~~

Peggy ignored Steve doing that shuffling not-approach of his as she swiftly pulled off her socks, checked the state of her feet, and pulled on her last clean pair before putting her boots back on. She watched him edge closer and then further away over and over until James shoved on Steve's shoulders to propel him towards her.

"Uhm."

Peggy gestured to the free spot on log beside her. "You might become better at speaking to a woman if you were to actually speak to any."

"Speaking to one got me in trouble just last month, if I recall right." Steve sighed at her expression and plopped down next to her. "You know I keep telling them to do what you say."

"I have heard that, yes." Peggy pulled his nearer foot into her lap and started unlacing his boot. "I don't care if you are a super soldier we're checking your feet."

"I'm certain I'm fine, Peggy." He made to pull his foot away until she looped her thumb under the laces and dug her the fingernails of her other hand into the tender spot of his Achilles' tendon.

James dropped to sit crosslegged in the dirt in front of them. "Had a guy in the squad to start that said that too, Steve. They had to take his leg eventually."

Steve frowned down at James. "What about your feet?"

Peggy slipped Steve's boot off. "We'll check his next, Steve."

James smirked and scooted forward to rest his forehead against Steve's knee. "Wake me when you want me to strip."

"Bucky!"

Peggy caught Steve's hand before he could shove on James and they both stared down as James started to snore softly. "Oh, dear. I thought you said he was sleeping more soundly."

Steve wiped his hand down his face. "He seemed to be. He won't talk to me about it much." He wiggled his toes until she put his sock back in place. "Guess this means you can't see my other foot for a few minutes."

Peggy rolled her eyes and started to shove his boot back on when James suddenly straightened, turned, and fired out into the woods. "What the _bloody_ hell?"

"Bucky?"

James blinked several times. "My feet will have to wait."

****

"Feet, English, really?"

Peggy smiled at her. "It doesn't sound nearly as glamorous as the news reels would have you believe, does it?"

Angie leaned back in her seat. "So you hadn't made up your mind which of them to keep, had you?"

"In a way, no, I hadn't." Peggy didn't mention that it hadn't been a choice between them once she figured out they were willing to do as she said. "Do you want to hear the rest or not?"

Angie shrugged. "As long as their feet were as handsome as the rest of them, I suppose."

Peggy smiled her best I-have-the-answer-that-you-never-will smile in response. 

****

Peggy hurried after James and Steve until they meet up with Timothy several meters further into the woods.

"What the hell was that, Sarge? You fired right past me..." Timothy turned to follow James' movements as he kept right on going with his rifle at the ready.

Steve caught Timothy's sleeve and tugged him along. "You alright, Dum Dum?"

Timothy nodded and cocked his weapon. "Sure. Sarge didn't hit me, just startled me is all."

Peggy followed along until nearly a hundred yards later they found what James had shot.

"Well, fuck me."

"Language, Dum Dum." Steve moved past the downed soldier and turned his head to the side to listen. 

Timothy reddened as he glanced at her.

Peggy patted his arm as she scanned the forest around them for more soldiers. Behind them came the quiet sounds of the Howlies as the rest moved up on their current position. She gave Steve and James a few more moments to listen before touching Steve's closer elbow.

Steve shook his head and nudged James in the back of his shoulder.

James turned his head and raised his eyebrows at them.

Peggy nodded towards the dead soldier and held up a finger.

James shrugged and turned to stare out at spot in the forest.

Steve gestured to the rest of the group and they started to advance. 

****

"You were in the thick of things? Actual battle?"

"Hmm." Peggy took a sip of her drink. "Would it be worse to say that I was or that sometimes I miss it?"

Angie got up and brought more coffee to their table. She warmed Peggy's cup. "I don't think 'worse' is word I'd use."

"Ah, there you are, Agent Carter."

Peggy looked past Angie to find Jarvis standing in the entryway of the Automat. "Mr. Jarvis?"

"Umm. A package has arrived for you from Mr. Stark."

Peggy mentally frowned. "Oh? That's lovely. I be along momentarily." She reached across and patted Angie's hand. "I'll tell you the part with Steve chasing a pig when I see you next."

Angie snorted. "A pig? You're definitely something else, English."

Peggy smiled and pulled on her coat.

****

The fact that Howard had smuggled himself back into the country didn't surprise her, although the size of his luggage did.

"Really, Howard?"

Howard grinned wide at her. "Trust me that you really want this luggage, Pegs."

She rolled her eyes and moved to help when the two of them had trouble getting the trunk into the car. It was far heavier than it had any right to be. "What do you have in this? Weapons?"

Howard made a face at her as he shrugged. "Well, you aren't entirely wrong."

"Howard."

"Please, Pegs. We can't open it here. We need to get to one of my properties."

Jarvis cleared his throat. "Mhm, about that, sir..."

Peggy sighed and explained about the current situation with the SSR as they hid Howard along the back floorboard of the car with a half full duffle. Getting Howard into the Griffith was difficult with a trunk to get through the metal hatch.

Howard complained as they manhandled the trunk into the dumbwaiter, but he climbed in on top of it in any case. 

Mrs. Fry gave her quite the fright as she sent the dumbwaiter up. Peggy tried to keep her breathing steady as Mrs. Fry insisted on opening the dumbwaiter on her floor. The duffle being the only thing in the dumbwaiter almost had her fainting.

Peggy waited for Mrs. Fry to get down the stairs and around the corner before hurrying back to the dumbwaiter. "Howard?"

Lorraine's door popped open just down the hall.

"Peggy, your cousin seems to have brought you have a house. It's a wonder this trunk is holding together what with how heavy it is."

Peggy blew out a breathe and hurried to get Howard and the trunk into her room. She sighed as she dropped to sit on her bed. "What exactly have you brought me, Howard?"

"Well, I was just going to ask you to help me determine what the SSR has recovered of my inventions, but then, well..." Howard bit his lip and frowned down at the trunk. He rested his hands on the trunk's top. "Don't scream, alright?"

"Howard?" Peggy frowned as Howard opened the latches with a complicated series of moves. As the lid came up screaming was the last thing on her mind. Shooting someone was far more likely. "What were you _thinking_ bringing me a corpse?"

"He's alive."

Peggy blinked hard and reached out to touch a cool cheek. The curled up form of Steve, his uniform, him, even the shield was covered in a coating of frost. "How?"

Howard pulled the shield out and tucked it under her bed. "The serum kept him alive. I knew it was a possibility. That's why I was so frantic about trying to find him."

Peggy nodded as ran her fingertips over Steve's brows. "He's so cold."

"He's thawing out still. His heartbeat is really slow, but I'm hoping he's going to wake up."

She looked up sharply at that. "You don't know for sure."

Howard shrugged. "Of course not. I just...I have hope, Pegs. He took a huge breath when his face was first cleared and his heartbeat has been picking up. I was about to call you, but then my inventions were stolen, and I needed to make sure no one knew he was found."

"Found and very venerable."

"Exactly." Howard looked at her. "I didn't think we'd be here. I thought we'd just put him up in my penthouse."

Peggy rubbed at her temple. "Exactly what am I going to do with him if he doesn't wake, Howard?"

"Uhh, claim I mailed him to you in the trunk, maybe?"

She sighed. "Help me get him out of the trunk, Howard."

****

Getting photos of Howard's inventions was easy enough. No one at work even noticed her movements. It'd concern her more if they were just as oblivious to the movements of other people, but it was only her they ignored.

After work, purloining dinner for Howard was made simpler by not having to steal food for Steve, who was still thawing out in her tub. It should have worried her, but his heartbeat had picked up and she'd seen him take a few breaths.

She was about to bow out of the food line with her bounty when Angie sidled up beside her.

"You promised a story about a pig, English."

Peggy smiled. "I did, but now is not the best time..."

Angie frowned at her. "Peggy, you know the girls talk, right? And I'm pretty sure your cousin is more interesting than any of mine."

With a sigh, Peggy started towards the stairs. "It isn't the cousin that's the biggest concern at the moment." She glanced at Angie's hopeful face as they started up the stairs. "Alright, but this you can't tell to the girls. At all."

Angie grinned. "I can keep my trap shut, English."

****

"Holy shit!"

"Angie! You've said that. Several times now." Peggy pulled off her shoes to change them out to something that wouldn't click on the floors so she could sneak back into work.

Angie turn from the bathroom door to point at Howard. "You're really Howard Stark!"

Howard smiled is best glamour smile. "I really am."

Peggy sighed. "Please don't do that with her, Howard."

"What? I'm just being friendly, Pegs."

Angie had turned back to stare at Steve in her tub. "He's not dead?"

"Not yet." Peggy took Angie's arm and sat her down. "I need to go retrieve something from work for Howard. Could you please help make sure Howard doesn't get caught and that no one comes in to find Steve?"

Angie brightened. "You want me to help? Really?" She sprung up and hugged Peggy. "Of course I'll help, English." She pushed back. "You still owe me the pig story though."

Peggy smiled. "I'm sure you can get Howard to tell you about it while I'm gone."

Howard frowned. "Which pig story?"

Angie looked between them both. "There's more than one pig story?"

Peggy smiled as she gathered up her things. 

****

The fight after finding out that Howard had sent her for Steve's blood was louder than Peggy would have liked if she'd been thinking at the time. Angie slipping into the bathroom and closing the door was something that didn't even register until after Peggy had stormed back out of her room.

Getting caught up in going to Russia was almost welcome. Peggy arranged for Angie to keep an eye on Steve, who had apparently twitched while she was at work. She could only hope that Angie could get Steve to Brooklyn if he woke while she was gone. She didn't trust Howard, and by extension Jarvis, with anything concerning Steve at the moment.

Seeing Timothy had her nearly bursting at the seams to tell him about Steve, but she still didn't know if Steve was going to wake. She turned it over in her mind as they rode to the enemy base. Telling him now versus just hinting at the information versus not saying anything at all. It was decidedly more difficult for her to decide on than she would have thought.

Finding the two prisoners didn't make her happy in the least. As they fled down the corridor, she heard something other than the gunfire. Pounding. Peggy turned her head towards the sound. Pounding in a pattern that she knew.

"Sawyer, do you hear that?"

"Other than the gunfire?"

Peggy stuck her head around a corner into a tiny service corridor. "I'll be right back."

"I hope so, you're the only one that'll fit down that."

Peggy eased forward as fast as she could and found another corridor, the pounding louder and now she could hear a voice warily repeating a number. "Oh, God." Peggy hurried forward and it _was_ him. She shot the lock off and pulled the cell door open. "James."

He was dirty, in only trousers, and chained to the far wall. His left arm was hidden by heavy shackles up to and across his chest, but it was James, voicing his service number with his eyes closed.

"James." Peggy patted his cheek. "James, open your eyes for me."

"Not real. Never is real." James pulled his head away. "I won't do it. I won't."

"I'm not asking, James. What does Steve say?" She found the switches to open the shackles so she almost missed James' answer in the ensuing noise.

"Do what Peggy says."

"Yes, exactly." She bit her lip at the metal arm. She didn't know what the blue blazes it was, but it seemed very attached. "And Peggy says we have to go now, James. Walk."

James stumbled forward and leaned heavy on her. "I don't want them to catch you. He'll make you see the lies. I don't want the lies. Stevie's not dead, is he? They laughed about it to me."

"No, not quite dead." Peggy pulled on the belt loop of his trousers to adjust her hold on him and got them moving faster. "I promise I'll take you to see him if you move fast now."

"Promises of not real Peggys don't count." James kept moving with her.

"We'll discuss if I'm real later." She shoved him through the service corridor sideways, and with some scraping and loss of plaster along the walls from the metal shoulder, his too thin frame made it through.

"Holy shit!"

Peggy shoved on Agent Li's shoulder to get him moving ahead of them. "Move it."

The firefight they ended up in very quickly didn't even make James flinch. It was like he still wasn't all the way awake or aware. Peggy had little time to worry about it as she handed James off to Timothy while she got Thompson to snap out of it to get everyone still alive out.

James kept his eyes on her face as they rode to the extraction point. Peggy kept a hand on his arm where it peeked out of the blanket they'd thrown over his shoulders. 

"Peggy." Timothy nodded down at James sitting between her feet on the floorbed of the truck.

"Timothy, I need you to look for a letter from me very soon."

"What?"

Peggy smiled as she patted James' right shoulder. "I have very good news. Besides this."

Timothy blinked, frowned down at James, and then looked back to her. "Beside this."

"Yes."

Timothy sat back on the bench. "I look forward to hearing it in a letter before I read about it in a paper."

Peggy nodded. "Definitely."

****

The plane ride didn't go completely smoothly. James finally looked around and immediately attacked Doctor Ivchenko. The rest of them couldn't even budge him. Peggy pulled as hard as she could on James' ear.

"James!"

"Lies. His lies. I won't do it."

Peggy pulled until James finally turned his head towards her. "He's knocked out, James. Stop. It is alright to stop now."

James finally let go of the Doctor's throat and flexed his metal hand. "Lies about Stevie. Lies, all lies. I don't want to do it."

"James, you don't have to do anything except sit there. I'm certain he doesn't know the truth about Steve. We'll go see him directly when we land, alright?"

Thompson grabbed her arm. "Steve as in Steve Rogers?"

Peggy was a little past caring at this point. James and Steve were her most important charges right now. She checked the Doctor's pulse. "What other Steve would James Buchanan Barnes be asking after, Jack?"

Thompson blinked. "You know what you just implied, right?"

"Yes, of course." She frowned down at the Doctor's still form. "James, what exactly do you not want to do?"

James' eyes were wild as he backed away from them. "I won't kill him. I won't hurt Stevie." He lifted a shaky finger to point at the Doctor. "His voice is bad. Bad things. Lies."

"Okay, he has lost it, Carter."

Peggy eased in front of James. "Easy, James. Did he tell you to kill Steve?"

"He said I already killed him because I'm bad. I'm rotten inside."

Peggy turned towards Thompson. "Jack, cuff and gag Doctor Ivchenko."

"What? On just the word of a crazy man?"

"Would you rather comfort Sergeant Barnes while I do the cuffing?"

Thompson huffed, but moved to do as she had said.

****

Peggy had a bit of a dilemma. She couldn't hope to smuggle James into the Griffith and Angie hadn't left a message for her so Steve had yet to awaken. She sat James down at her desk and turned to ask Daniel if she might borrow a set of clothing when he appeared at her elbow.

"Carter."

That wasn't the best tone of voice. She watched Chief Dooley and Thompson head towards the interrogation room where they'd put Doctor Ivchenko. "Yes, Daniel?"

He frowned at James staring blankly at her face. "He alright?"

"He will be." She bit her lip for a moment. "Might I ask you for a very important favor?"

He turned his frown towards her. "What sort of favor?"

"Trust me."

Daniel narrowed his eyes at her. "You know your way around a stapler."

Peggy took a deep breathe and nodded. "I do, actually. I promise you I am only trying to clear an innocent man's name."

Daniel's frown deepened. "Carter."

"Do what Peggy says."

Peggy smiled at James. "Yes, Steve always says that, doesn't he, James?"

James blinked and turned to look at Daniel. "You aren't a Howlie."

Peggy patted James' shoulder. "Daniel would have been if he'd have met us during the war."

"I..." Daniel blinked and straightened up. "Fine. I'm giving you two days before I go to the Chief."

That was the best she could expect. "Agreed. Now, help me with him. I need to retrieve something from my room at the Griffith for James and then we need to make a trip to Brooklyn."

"Brooklyn?"

****

Peggy searched her purse for her keys. "Oh, bugger."

Angie popped her head out of her room. "Down here, English."

Peggy hurried into Angie's room. "Angie?"

Angie smiled at her and opened her bathroom door. "Lorraine and I moved him. I was afraid he'd wake up while I was at work, so I got Helen to sit with him some."

Peggy leaned on the doorframe and let her head loll into the doorjamb. "I thought we agreed you'd keep quiet about this."

"Yeah, but he started twitching harder. Uhm. I'm not sure how you're going to explain the hole in your bathroom wall, English."

"Oh, dear."

Angie patted her on the shoulder. "Yeah, he's breathing normal like now. We've tried talking at him, but he's not waking up."

"I need to get him into the dumbwaiter."

"What? Why? Where are you taking him?"

"The Barnes family still lives in Brooklyn. I'll take him there."

Angie nodded. "Sure, but why didn't you do that to begin with?"

"Howard Stark is an utter wanker, that's why." She looked around. "I don't suppose you moved the trunk too?"

****

Daniel's face when she convinced James to help her put the trunk in the car's back seat was rather priceless. "A trunk, really?"

"It is what is in the trunk that's important, Daniel. Please."

Daniel sighed and gestured towards the car. "Get in."

Peggy thought they were doing well until they started across the bridge.

"This isn't real."

She turned in her seat to face James. "James, when the Doctor told you lies did he ever let you escape?"

"Lots." James turned his face into the sun that was coming in the car's window. "He'd let me get home sometimes."

"Did it always look just the same as you remembered?"

"Yeah." James turned his face towards her. "Always."

"There's differences now, James. You were missing and we thought you dead. Your family was told you had died in the fall from the train."

"Zola."

"Yes, he was caught. Steve wanted to tear him apart, but he managed to hold it together long enough to turn Zola in."

James blinked. "Steve tried to save me, Peggy."

"Yes, of course he did, James." Peggy reached back over the seat and caught James' right hand. "He missed you dearly."

"Carter."

Peggy glanced at Daniel. "Trust me just a little longer, Daniel. Please."

Daniel huffed. "Fine."

Mrs. Barnes was coming home from shopping and Peggy would probably have the image of the poor woman fainting dead away as the car pulled up in her mind the rest of her days. In the commotion, James slipped up the stairs and was inside his sibling's bedroom by the time they'd arranged to have the trunk brought up.

James had a pistol trained on her as she opened the connecting door with Daniel and the rest of the Barnes family on her heels. "Lies."

Peggy shook her head as she eased into the room and to one side so James could see the main room. "No, no lies, Sergeant. Open the trunk, please."

"No. It's always bloody. I won't do it."

Daniel looked like he was about to do something impulsive when the trunk gave a weak sounding thump. Peggy moved forward swiftly and disarmed James as everyone turned towards the trunk.

"Well, he did always have the worst timing."

Daniel turned to stare at her. "What?"

Peggy nudged her way past James and started flipping the latches on the trunk as the thumping inside started up again. "Easy, Steve. Just one moment."

"What?"

As James crowded her back, Peggy flipped the lid open to find Steve blinking slowly up at her.

"Heaven, then?" He sounded weak and tired and it was the most glorious sound she'd heard since James' service number in a dark corridor.

"I suppose it depends on your definition."

Steve blinked several times. "I'm hallucinating, aren't I?"

Peggy patted his shoulder and started pulling on him to get him sat up. "No, actually. I found James on a field trip just yesterday. I owe Timothy a letter to explain why we weren't telling James what dumb stunt you'd done without him."

"What?"

Peggy turned towards Daniel. "Do you need to sit down, Daniel?"

Daniel vaguely nodded as he continued to stare.

Peggy let herself be squished as James suddenly surged forward to pull Steve into a hug with her between them. The metal arm was strong. Peggy snaked an arm loose and got ahold of one of Steve's straps and gave it a sharp tug. "Okay, hugs later. I need to explain to Daniel what I've been doing."

Steve kept a hand on James' left arm as they pulled apart. "A lot of explaining. I heard you yelling at Howard. What'd he do now?" He looked around at the stunned Barnes family. "Uhm, what'd I miss?"

Peggy batted him on the shoulder. "A lot, I expect." She turned toward Mrs. Barnes. "Would you be so kind as to put a kettle on?"

James blinked. "Kettle?"

"For tea, James."

James grinned. "He always got that wrong. He always made you say coffee. Always." He looked around the room. "There's differences."

Peggy waited to him to look at her again. "Yes, lots of differences. Can you rest, James? I need to catch Steve up on why you're worried about lies. Alright?"

James fingered the lace doilies on the end table. "Ma hates starch." He grinned wider. "You found me for real."

"Oh, my boy." Mrs. Barnes dropped to sit heavily in a nearby chair.

Peggy swallowed past the lump in her throat. "I found you for real, James. I brought you and Steve home just as soon as I could."

James grabbed a strap on Steve's uniform. "I'll wake up here? You promise?"

"I give you my solemn oath that you will wake up right here."

James gave her a single nod and slumped forward onto Steve's shoulder. The soft snores started up almost right away.

"I'm not going to be able to change soon, am I?" Steve ran gentle fingers along James' right hand.

"Well, given how long you've been in that uniform, I should think a few more hours won't harm you."

Steve grinned at her and then he sobered. "Yelling at Howard?"

"Yes, well, he had sent me into the SSR to steal a vial of your blood so he had it coming."

"Carter!"

Peggy dropped to sit next to Steve and James and looked across to Daniel's shocked face. She noted the Barnes family retreating to the kitchen with an odd sort of detachment. She was going to need to sleep soon. "You'd already worked out I was the blonde in the club."

"Yeah, but I sort of wondered all long given the amount of damage the stapler did." Daniel frowned at her. "You're helping Stark to treason?"

She sighed. "No. He didn't commit treason. Someone wants something he had in that vault, but now that the SSR has recovered the inventions we're a target instead."

"Which you found and had someone call in that tip for you."

"Yes, well, what was I supposed to say, Daniel? Oh, by the way because none of you see me I was able to conduit my own investigation even when everyone else wanted to just lock Howard up and throw away the key? Oh, yes, that'd have gone down swimmingly."

Daniel gestured to Steve. "And him? I know how you ended up finding Sergeant Barnes, but him in a trunk?"

"That's how Howard smuggled him back into the country, in that trunk. Howard assured me he'd wake up."

Steve snorted. "He wasn't that certain."

Peggy turned to stare at him. "You _heard_ that?"

"Yeah, some of it. I was in and out. Couldn't move for a long while. It was really cold." Steve frowned down at James. "What happened to his arm, Peggy?"

"I don't know for sure, yet, but I don't care."

They both stared at her.

Peggy rubbed her forehead. "He can use the arm, that's good enough for me until he is ready for Howard to take a look at it." She clasped her hands and looked at Daniel. "I may not have always been truthful, but I was always honest with you, Daniel."

Daniel considered James and then Steve. He stared at her for several long moments. "Say that I believe Stark is being set up. How to we prove it?"

Peggy smiled. "I have an idea."

****

They came back into the office to find too many people ranged around the interrogation room. Peggy frowned as she eased back around the corner. She looked at Daniel who pursed his lips and then nodded to her.

She nodded back and waited as he went around the corner.

"Hey, Jack, what's all this?"

"The Doc was explaining."

Peggy frowned. Jack sounded drugged. She thought back on James' words about the Doctor's dangerous voice. Moving to the nearest desk she pawed through until she found a first aid kit. Cotton in her ears took but a few moments. The baseball and bat from Thompson's desk a few moments longer. She got back to the corner and peeked around to find Daniel knocked out on the floor and the agents all staring towards the Chief and Doctor Ivchenko.

Steeling herself, Peggy stepped out into the hallway and hit the baseball so hard James would have been very proud to see it. The ball hit Doctor Ivchenko in the base of the throat. Peggy didn't waste time, she ducked back around the corner, and from there it was just a matter of taking down everyone as with as few permanent injuries as possible.

Peggy sat breathing hard as Daniel pushed himself up. "Are you alright?"

He stared around at the damage. "Are you?"

She tugged the cotton out of one of her ears. "What?"

"I asked if you...Never mind. I can tell you're fine."

Peggy grinned. "Yes." She gestured to the fallen agents. "Do you think it'll still have hold of them when they wake up?"

Daniel raised his eyebrows. "Better not take a chance. I hate to think you might need to break Jack's favorite bat."

Peggy laughed and got up to find some rope.

****

It had worn off and Chief Dooley was more than a little upset. He stared around at the various injuries being patched up among the agents.

"All of this was you, Carter?"

Peggy double checked the gag on Doctor Ivchenko. "Yes, I have explained that, Chief." She winced as the sound of a shoulder being put back into place filled the air for a moment. "I did try to keep the damage to a minimum."

He sighed. "What do you think they are trying to frame Stark for?"

"Frame?" Peggy turned to look at Chief Dooley. "You believe he's innocent?"

"Innocent? No, but someone wants something of his stuff that we are currently holding. And it has something to do with Finow, a battle that caused Stark to get into a fistfight with a General."

"Finow? I don't remember there being a battle of Finow." Peggy frowned down at the file the Chief handed her. Everything was redacted. "Oh, dear."

"Yeah. So, the only person that might know is on the run and his butler hates us since we threatened his wife. I don't see how we're going to figure this out since we can't let our only lead talk and I doubt he'll write anything down for us."

Peggy frowned down at the file. "Perhaps I can help. Howard was very concerned that one of the things we were holding was a vital of Steve Roger's blood."

"Were? What do you mean 'were' holding?"

"No one pays attention to me, Chief. Especially when I don't want you to do so."

Chief Dooley sighed and covered his face with one hand. "You stole it."

"I borrowed it. I'll retrieve it now if you promise it stays in my possession."

With a sigh, he waved her out. "Take Sousa and Thompson with you."

****

Predictably, Mrs. Fry was not willing to allow males above the first floor, Federal agents or no. Peggy quickly ascended her stairs to her room and then sighed because she hadn't found her keys yet.

"Oh, hey, Peggy."

She turned to find Dottie standing in the doorway of her room. "Hello, Dottie."

"Lose your keys?"

Peggy nodded even as she wondered why that was the first thing Dottie would assume. "Yes, it appears so. I needed to retrieve something from my room, but..." She stopped as Dottie stepped back into her room. "Dottie?"

Dottie stepped back out with Steve's shield on her arm. "You mean this maybe?"

Peggy narrowed her eyes. "Why do you have that?"

"You know no one realized there was more than one of these. Makes sense though, no one could throw it like the reels said he did and not lose one." She hefted it on her arm. "Nice and light, isn't it?"

Peggy stared at the wrist of Dottie's other hand, the scar seeming to stand out in sharp relief. "You're one of those little girls all grown up."

Dottie smiled. "All grown up." And then she flung the shield.

Peggy ducked and the fight went so fast. It was like the times James had made her brush up on her dirty fighting that she couldn't practice with Steve or the others without a lot of fussing. Dottie could move almost as fast as James. Peggy kept dodging and evading as best she could.

"What's going..." Angie came around the corner and faster than Peggy could open her mouth to warn her off, Dottie had Angie in a headlock.

"Let her go, Dottie."

Dottie grinned wide. "You're really good, Pegs. That was almost fun."

Peggy stepped forward. "Dottie..."

Dottie tightened her grip. "No."

Angie looked frightened and Peggy was struck with the memory of Colleen dead in her place. 

"Please, Dottie. You don't need to hurt her."

"You will bring me Howard Stark and his weapons and if you deliver them I'll let you have your little pet friend back alive."

Peggy nodded. "Alright. Do not harm her, Dottie."

Dottie started to back around the corner.

Thompson's gun appeared from around the corner. "Stop right there."

Peggy scooped up Steve's shield and threw it as Dottie swung around towards Thompson. The shield bounced off the side of Dottie's head as Thompson gave a startled shout. As Dottie fell to the floor, Angie wiggled free, and ran for Peggy's side.

Mrs. Fry came directly behind Thompson, yelling about the dangers of men above the first floor as Peggy gathered up Angie and let her cry a bit on Peggy's shoulder.

****

Peggy took the shield, the vial, and Angie with her to Brooklyn. Mr. Barnes opened the door and smiled wide at them.

"Agent Carter. Come in, come in. Mister Stark was just telling us a highly amusing story involving a pig."

They were ushered in and Peggy found herself shut into the room they'd given to Steve and James while Mrs. Barnes hovered over Angie. Steve had gotten changed and look positively glowing as he kept watch over a sleeping James.

"How is he?"

Steve took the shield from her and set it aside with her bag before pulling her into a bruising hug. "He'll be alright in the end. You? You look tired, my love."

She sighed and allowed herself to lean on him, breathing in how solid and real he was under her hands. "I am tired. I haven't slept." She dug her forehead into the slope of his chest. "Oh, Steve."

He hushed her and practically picked her up to sit with him on James' bed. "Howard showed up about an hour after you left."

"Hmm. I thought I saw Mr. Jarvis on my way out." She ran her fingers along his arms. "You feel much warmer now. Nearly your normal body temperature."

He smiled and nodded. "Howard said he'd warmed me as fast as he dared so he could hide me in that trunk to get me to you. He said my body might take a while to go back to normal." He clasped her hands. "I'm sorry about the plane, Peggy."

"Yes, well, next time you should just do as I say."

Steve laughed and pulled her into another hug. "Pegs."

"You still owe me a dance."

He smiled wide. "Of course, Agent Carter. Whenever you say."

She reached across him to the small radio on the bedside table. "How about right now?"

"I'd pay a dollar to see it for real."

Peggy turned with Steve to look down at James watching them. "You're next, you know."

He smiled soft. "You both deserve better than a broken down soldier that can't discern reality."

Steve looked stricken, like this wasn't the first time James had said similar since she'd gone back to the office. 

Peggy patted James' right hand. "I'm not going to settle for less than what I want, James. So you will simply have to suck it up."

Steve grinned and James snorted. She started to lean down to give James a kiss when the bedroom door burst open.

"Peggy! I just had a thought!"

Peggy pulled back and sighed. "Howard, you have worse timing than Steve."

****

Peggy gazed up at their new house. "It wasn't the worst idea he's had."

"Indeed." Mr. Jarvis passed her with her bags tucked under his arms. He stopped short of the front step. "Uhm. I feel I should warn you that Ana wanted to help set up the house."

Peggy stepped up beside him. "And that requires a warning?"

"Oh, well, no..."

"Oh, there you are! I'm so pleased to finally meet you."

Peggy stared at Jarvis as Ana enveloped her in a tight hug.

"She's a hugger, you see."

Peggy hugged back. "I see. Perhaps not towards James until he's been warned though."

Ana pulled back and smiled. "He's in urgent need of hugs, I suspect."

She couldn't argue with that. "Let's go in so Mr. Jarvis can sit down the bags he wouldn't let me carry."

The house was much bigger than she'd thought from Howard's description. "Do you think he lied to get Steve and James to agree to live here?"

"What? Oh, no. Mr. Stark does think is house is much too small." Jarvis opened the curtains and let the room flood with light. "I convinced him that it was more than enough for a thank you present."

"Do I want to know what you talked him out of, Mr. Jarvis?"

"Not if you want to keep your sanity, Agent Carter."

She smiled as they passed into the kitchen. "This place would hold half the Griffith and we'd never need to speak to each other."

Jarvis cleared his throat. "Yes, well. I thought you'd like the fog that rolls into the back of the house. There's enough floors you can hear the sounds of the city if you open the upper windows so it isn't too quiet or sounding like a war. And the second floor office gets natural light for the entire morning and most of the afternoon without overheating."

Peggy smiled. "You always know exactly what is needed. Thank you, Mr. Jarvis." She went up on her toes to give him a kiss on his cheek. "You know nothing, of course."

He smiled. "Nothing at all. The other car should be arriving any moment. I'll just go down and let both gentleman in, shall I?"

"Thank you, Mr. Jarvis."

****

It wasn't a prefect ending, but it was as close as she could have ever hoped for.

Thompson took the credit for saving the day. Peggy allowed it because she knew her value and the applause of her fellow agents was good enough. The occasional flinch out of one of them was also very gratifying and amused her more than it probably should.

The return letter from Timothy cursing at her for not telling him about Steve during their mission was the most amusing letter she'd ever gotten. Steve's mutter about Timothy's language in front of a lady made both James and her laugh out loud.

It took time for James to truly believe they were real. He slept in odd places and at odd times. Finding him in the cellar curled under the wine with a notebook of Steve's in his arms was probably the hardest on Steve. Finding him curled up in her robe at the back of huge wardrobe Howard had given her was the hardest for her.

It wasn't until the fifth week after bringing him home that Peggy was certain he'd decided they were actually real, that he'd actually escaped.

He was on the roof when she found him bending a pipe with his hands. "I haven't told him."

"That Zola gave you something like his Serum? Steve knew that already, James."

He glanced at her. "You never call me Bucky."

"No, I was raised to be too formal for that." She sat down next to him. "Do you want me to call you by Steve's nickname for you?"

He shook his head. "No. The visions sometimes did and it was so disconcerting. The things he'd get wrong versus what he'd get right."

She leaned into his left side and rode out his flinch. "You decided we were real yesterday."

"Yeah. Seems better to enjoy it while I've got it." He grinned. "Besides, we both know how you knot your laces and that ain't something they thought to beat or cajole out of me."

Peggy looked down at the boots she was wearing. They'd been traipsing through tunnels today at work. "Need me to knot your laces for a while?"

James grinned. "It might help. I think I'm getting better, though."

"You are. You only threw one knife at Steve during the night."

With a sigh, James leaned his head against hers. "He's tough, he can take it."

She patted his knee and sat with him to watch the sunset.

****

Their lives settled into a routine after that. Or as much of a routine as a house with a spy, a super soldier, and a near super soldier could aspire to.

Peggy came home to the smell of frying chicken. She found her men in the kitchen, James at the stove and Steve breading the next pieces to fry. "It smells good."

James grinned at her and turned over a piece. "How was work for our favorite breadwinner?"

"I got to shove Thompson into the water off the docks to keep him from getting shot, so my day was made." Peggy gathered a kiss from both of them and turned to rummage in the cupboards for plates to set the table.

Steve snorted as he passed another plate of breaded chicken to James. "I take he didn't like that."

"Oh, you should have seen him. Looked like a half-drowned cat. What I would have given for a picture." She put the plates on and went to gather silverware. "Have either of you given any thought to my suggestion?"

Steve and James both looked at her. Peggy took the silverware to the table.

"I still say the government isn't going to like Howard bankrolling a private intelligence agency. Even if we make me the face of it." Steve took the plate of finished chicken from James and handed it to her.

Peggy sat the chicken down and went to the pantry to find melon to cut up. "I'm not really interested in what the government thinks of us. They threatened to not reinstate James. I'm still miffed about it."

James pulled up the last of the chicken and turned the burner off. "I'm still not sure about the name. I thought we'd agreed Howard wasn't allowed to name things anymore."

Steve chuckled and took the dish of cut up melon from her to set on the table. "I don't know. I think it needs a name people will remember."

"How about one they can pronounce?"

Peggy took the potatoes from the back burner and distributed them to their plates. "I thought we might name it after Steve's shield. An acronym. People don't need to remember the full name, just what it stands for."

"So, just plain shield?"

She shrugged as she forked a piece of chicken for her own before her men devoured the pile. "It's just a suggestion."

Steve smiled warmly at her. "It's a good one. Who all are we stealing from the SSR for SHIELD?"

James put another piece of chicken on her plate before piling his own plate high. "That one man. With the crutch. We need him."

"Daniel Sousa." Peggy grinned. "He's a good choice. I want Rose as well. She's wasted where she is right now. I think we'll want a few actresses as well."

Steve nodded. "Like your friend, Angie."

"Yes, like her." Peggy smiled. "The Howlies of course. Mr. Jarvis when he isn't evicting women from Howard's penthouse."

"So, very part time for Jarvis."

Peggy snorted as the others laughed. "Probably." She smiled happily as James tore into his food. "Given Howard's knack for getting into trouble we're going to need everyone we can get our hands on."

"No former Nazis though."

Peggy nodded. "Agreed. I hate that the SSR is involved with Operation Paperclip. I have come very close to shooting Zola several times."

James glanced at her. "Yeah?"

She shrugged. "He is annoying little worm. I finally decided he wasn't worth the paperwork it would involve."

Steve patted her shoulder. "He doesn't matter now. He can't get his hands on Bucky again."

James shuddered. "Never again." He shoveled another forkful of potato into his mouth. 

Peggy squeezed his forearm. "Never." She turned towards Steve. "How goes your drawing?"

Steve grinned. "Bucky finally agreed to pose for me."

"I told him not the new arm, but you watch, Pegs, he'll have it all down in charcoal in no time flat."

"It's fascinating to watch the panels, Buck."

James flexed the fingers of his left hand. "I still don't remember the fall or losing it. Just that one image on the operating table when they were putting me under."

Peggy patted James' shoulder. "It is yours now, love. No matter how you came by it to start."

Steve used the handle of his fork to tap the left forearm. "Useful anyway. I saw you move the skillet without a pad."

James sighed. "It doesn't feel pain." He pulled the plate of melon towards himself. "It's going to keep me from working anything undercover."

"I figured you'd rather be long range support where possible."

James looked at her. "I'm good at that, yeah."

Peggy held out her plate for melon. "You were good at undercover when we needed it that one time. We'll speak to Howard about disguising your new arm."

Steve narrowed his eyes. "Is this the story neither of you will tell me about the sow and her piglets?"

James stabbed melon with his fork. "There were no piglets."

"It is that story." Steve leaned forward eagerly. "I haven't heard this one. Neither of you would ever talk about it. Come on, spill."

Peggy snorted as James shook his head and stuffed more melon in his mouth. "It wasn't that much of a story, Steve."

"Oh, it must be. Bucky is stuffing in mouthfuls like manners can excuse him from talking. And you always insisting it wasn't anything. Come on now, Pegs." He gave them his best puppy-dog eyes. "Please, Peggy."

She sighed. "Oh, fine. You remember when you chased that pig around for an hour so we could have meat for the first time in a month?"

Steve nodded. "What does that have to do with this story?"

"Just wanted to see if you remembered that utter ridiculousness. James had convinced the town we were in that he was a veterinarian. There was one farmer that insisted we help the man's sow deliver her piglets."

James waggled a chicken bone at Steve. "Only there were no piglets."

"He was hoping to catch us out and then turn us in for a reward."

Steve looked between them both. "How did you know there weren't any piglets?"

James smiled. "I have how many younger siblings again, Steve? I've seen my mother in the late stages of her pregnancies and she's not a happy camper ever. Restless and the belly skin moving as the baby does. Tight and uncomfortable. And she couldn't ever sit still. That sow? Sleeping soundly."

Peggy started to gather up their plates. "James strung the farmer along until we were sure he was trying to trap us. Then we knocked him out and took the sow with us."

"And his three goats."

She nodded. "Yes, and the goats. We traded the goats and sow for the boat and that freed up the money that was supposed to be for the boat to use to bride the guards to get you and the Howlies out of the camp you weren't supposed to have ended up in."

Steve smiled. "We got bored waiting on you two to catch up."

"None of you could just be patient."

"No, we never could." James took the plates from her and headed for the sink. "We found a new radio show to listen to today."

Peggy looked at Steve's overly innocent expression and then at James' smirk. "Oh, no. I was futilely hoping you'd never hear that blasted radio show."

"Ah, come on now, Peggy. It isn't that bad."

James laughed. "Yeah, no one would believe for a minute that you'd go all helpless at the sight of a Nazis."

Peggy rolled her eyes as they started on the dishes. "It is a terrible show. They always have the worst plots."

Steve kissed the side of her head. "I thought it was sort of cute."

She leaned into James' side as she made a face at Steve. "You would. They didn't reduce you to a hapless damsel in distress."

James kissed the top of her head. "That's what makes it so funny to him. That they got it so wrong just so they could sell sewing machines."

Steve smiled at her. "We could always crash one of the shows and let you rant until they pull the plug."

Peggy laughed and slung her arms around their waists. She was so happy they were here. "Maybe on my last day at the SSR, just to give Chief Dooley something to yell about."

****

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I never know what to say here so please bare with me. :) I hope this was as fun for you to read as it was for me to write. I was trying really hard to keep the angst to a minimum as that's something I generally write a lot. I hope you enjoyed it being from Peggy's POV the whole way through. I know I never actually told the one pig story, but the hilarity of Steve in his uniform chasing a pig around in the mud doesn't really need too much description. Thank you for giving me the chance to write this.
> 
> Edit 4/17/18: I noticed today that the username for the person I wrote this for has changed on the story, but no one has told me if the new name is the same person or not. I've removed the old username from the original end note.


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